Breathe into Me
by Raevenne
Summary: A one-shot song-fic on the confrontation between Jareth and Sarah. No real plot involved, just feelings, thoughts, and emotions.


Okay, so I decided to test my fan fiction writing skills outside the realm of comedy … or failed comedy as it were

Okay, so I decided to test my fan fiction writing skills outside the realm of comedy … or failed comedy as it were. And write a short little one-shot lyric-inspired drabble song-fic. I was listening to the song "Breathe Into Me" by Red when I had a little thought about the ending of the movie.

Some of the details from the movie may be off, and I apologize for that. I have not watched the movie in awhile, so be gentle in that department. I am also taking some author rights with this and changing some things so that the story better flows/fits with the song.

Its nothing really that original, but I felt I had to write it, and share it. The song just fits the final confrontation between Jareth and Sarah in the movie. I hope you enjoy it. 

Oh, and Jareth, Sarah, the Labyrinth all belong to someone else!!

* * *

_**And this is how it feels when I ignore the words you spoke to me**_

_**And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you**_

She was so focused on Toby. Nothing mattered, not even what the Goblin King was trying to say to her. She vaguely heard him mention how he had done everything for her. But that wasn't true. Everything was lies, or an illusion. Like that crystal dream she would like to forget.

She had to save Toby. She put the Goblin King out of her mind and searched frantically for him in this room of stairs, doorways, and sharp edges. She saw the Goblin King come toward her and froze. This was not supposed to be part of it. She wanted to run and escape, but at the same time was frozen to the spot as he walked nearer … and nearer. And then through her!

She shook her head of any thoughts of him. He did not matter, only Toby. So she turned, and saw Toby again and rushed to reach for him. If she had looked inside herself, she would be surprised. Just a few hours ago, she would have loved to never see Toby again. She had been cursed. But she had changed in these few short hours, running this Labyrinth, running from her dreams for a little boy because of a few mistaken and oh so selfish words.

_**And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore  
And this is what I choose when it's all left up to me**_

Desperation was what he knew. The girl was so close to winning. Everything he had thrown at her, she had overcome. Everything he used, even his own charm, seemed to have failed. The girl was not like any other opponent that he had faced in this game. That made her all the more worth it – and all the more dangerous.

She was unpredictable in some ways. She should have given up before she had made it so far. Why hadn't she given up? Why couldn't she just have been content to dance in his arms in the crystal ballroom? Everything would have been so much simpler.

He paused. He had become pathetic. A mere mortal girl, not even a woman yet, was besting him. Everything had failed! But he could still try and win her over. He only had one more thing to offer the girl. Surely that could work … surely … It was unthinkable, but it was all he had left. It was what he chose, and hopefully she would accept.

_**And this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge**_

She stopped on the edge and looked down, her breathing heavy and ragged. She was running out of time. She wanted to scream in frustration. It felt like she was so close and yet so far.

She stared down below her, her feet on the edge. The phrase "leap of faith" filtered through her mind. She closed her eyes and jumped from the edge, desperation filling her mind.

_Toby … _

_**And this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground**_

The room was in shambles down here, things floating upwards, broken stairs. She stared around her in awe. It was like someone had come in and shattered the room. But she did not see the one thing she longed to see, Toby. Nor did she see the Goblin King yet.

She saw him then, coming out of the shadows. There was a subtle difference to him than when he first appeared in her father's bedroom. He seemed tired, run-down and slightly ragged.

She felt slightly unsure at that moment. But quickly shook that from her. She had to press on. He was the villain, in the wrong. She had to save Toby …

_**And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain**_

He had lost. She had said the words. He had offered himself, her dreams, but as with everything else, nothing had worked. How could a slip of a girl like her beat him? A king who had defeated even the most challenging of opponents?

He closed his eyes. Did defeat always taste this bitter? Did it always hurt this much? Or was it because a girl had turned him down? He had hoped he could keep the girl and the boy. But both were beyond his grasp.

But he would recover. He would forget them. Yes, tomorrow was a new day. He would not mope. He would be strong. This pain was just a paltry weak feeling that had to be squashed. She meant nothing! Everything would return to normal until the next challenge. Him. Alone. With the goblins.

_Oh, Sarah … why did you leave me? _

_**And this is how I disappear when I throw myself away**_

Nothing had been the same since that night five years ago, but it had also remained the same. There was no miraculous relationship change with her step-mother. Her parents still treated her like a stay-at-home babysitter. And Toby still cried, a lot. But she did not feel as much resentment as she had before.

Since that night, nothing had the same magical appeal as before. She had seen real magic, had felt it, breathed it, and known it. And now nothing compared. She wished to go back but knew that that door was forever closed to her. All because of six little words.

She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. There was no choice but to dismiss her fantasies, dreams, and imagination. Squish them down into nothing. They were nothing, weren't they? Just the childish feelings of a child.

But if that were true, why did it feel like she was killing part of herself? She felt like she could not breathe. She was falling into an abyss, one she had jumped into herself.

She needed to start a new life, one that would support her and make her happy…

Too bad it would not the one she had dreamed for…

_**Breathe your life into me  
I can feel you  
I'm falling, falling faster  
Breathe your life into me  
I still need you  
I'm falling, falling  
Breathe into me**_

* * *

A/N: I am not sure how I feel about this. But it is done. It is not exactly a happy ending, but I'm not in a happy-ending type of mood. I might one day expand this out into something else. But for now, it is a one-shot.


End file.
